concerts Kurt Elling
For those who miss the Chicago ex-pat’s once-weekly sets with the brilliant pianist/arranger Laurence Hobgood, this homecoming concert makes for a throwback holiday delight. But it’s not all ghosts of Christmases past: Elling previews new material from The Gate, his forthcoming release and the first since 2009’s Grammy-winning Dedicated to You.
GO: Dec 17 at 9, Dec 18 at 8. $15. Green Mill, 4802 N Broadway. greenmilljazz.com

ALSO THIS WEEK: Or catch the inimitable pianist Willie Pickens’s 16th-annual Jazz Christmas, with the outstanding trumpeter Maurice Brown and the luminous vocalist Tammy McCann, Dec 17 at Hyde Park Union Church. There’s nothing smooth about it.

concerts The Bad Plus
Just one more jazz tip, then we’ll move on—but what a luxury, in a tough year for jazz in Chicago, to have so many choice picks in one week. Behind door number 3: The notoriously offbeat trio The Bad Plus celebrates its first decade as a recording act like any 10-year-old would: by being loud and occasionally obnoxious. The gig’s official raison d’être—a new album of original tunes, Never Stop—will in no way preclude these guys from indulging their love of a good Nirvana or Black Sabbath cover.
GO: Dec 16–18 at 8 and 10, Dec 19 at 4 and 8. $25–$30. Jazz Showcase, 806 S Plymouth. jazzshowcase.com

film Music Box Christmas Show
If all that jazz leaves you inspired to make your own sweet music, belt it like you mean it when Santa plays carols from his organ perch prior to screenings of White Christmas and It’s a Wonderful Life—a feel-goodie so gosh-darn endearing, even the hipsters leave their ironic detachment at home.
GO: Dec 17–19, 22–24; see website for showtimes. $10­–$14 per film; $17–$20 for the double feature. Music Box Theatre, 3733 N Southport. musicboxtheatre.com

ALSO THIS WEEK: The Do-It-Yourself Messiah at Harris Theater is sold out, but a couple of (free!) sing-along options remain: Auto Tune Karaoke for the tonally challenged, Dec 17 at Lincoln Hall, and one last round of Caroling at Cloud Gate earlier the same night.

film A Christmas Tale
No, not the one about Red Ryder BB guns and showing Mommy how a piggy eats. This is a Catherine Deneuve flick, all cool French indifference and bougie dysfunctional-family drama. The flipside to the Music Box’s double bill, we love it just as much—for all the opposite reasons. See it at the Alliance Française, where cheapo admission includes a glass of wine and a chat by Facets’ chef, Milos Stehlik.
GO: Dec 15 at 6:30. $7. Alliance Française de Chicago, 54 W Chicago. af-chicago.org

sports/rec Roller Skate with Santa
What, wrap The Five on such a sophisticated note? Never. Last but not least, we present an all-ages option, open to kids and kitsch-lovers alike. It’s even cheaper than a night with Deneuve, and the only thing French about it is the rinkside eau de haute dog.
GO: Dec 17 from 6:30 to 8:30. $5 includes a hot dog, a drink, popcorn, and skate rental. Margate Park gym, 4921 N Marine. 312-742-7522